Tag Archives: Blind Gary Davis

Classic Blues and Gospel Songs: Reverend Gary Davis

There is something special about the guitar tune of “I’m The Light Of The World”, it represents the guitar skills of Reverend Gary Davis brilliantly . This classic song is one of my favorite Ragtime gospel blues songs. For an eighty plus year old song it somehow surprises me that every aspect of songwriting is perfect.

Origins Rev. Gary Davis

The Rev. was born on April 30, 1896, in Laurens County, south of Spartanburg, in the Piedmont section of upstate South Carolina. At a young age Davis started playing harmonica and guitar. He teamed up with some ragtime musicans around 1910 or 1911 and since that day Reverend Blind Gary Davis performed a lot in the streets.

Blues Street performer

Gary Davis was a street performer, according to his official biography. His repertoire consisted Blues, Gospel and Ragtime, and he switched often between those styles “to make it harder for the police to interrupt him”. (Bruce Eder, All-Music Guide)

He began taking the gospel material more seriously, and in 1937 he became an ordained minister. After that, he usually refused to perform any blues.

Harlem, New York Days – Reverend Gary Davis

During World War II Davis moved to New York , and began preaching and playing on streetcorners in Harlem. About his Harlem Days Trevor Laurence & Simeon Hutner made a fantastic film-documentary called “Harlem Street Singer” The film traces Davis’s journey out of poverty in the Deep South to his iconic status in the folk and rock scene in 1960s New York. Watch the trailer below.

Harlem Street Singer trailer

Rediscovery by the Folk Revival Movement

During the fifties and sixties in New York folk and blues had a huge revival movement. Son House, Big Bill Broonzy and many others experienced the impact. Also Reverend Gary Davis was “rediscovered” by the folk revival movement, and after some initial reticence, he agreed to perform as part of the budding folk music revival.

He also teached guitar during this period including David Bromberg and the Jefferson Airplane’s Jorma Kaukonen (who later recorded Davis’s “I’ll Be Alright” on his acclaimed solo album Quah!).

Jorma Kaukonen, the guitarist of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, recorded a beautiful version of “I’m The Light of This World” on his 1974 Quah album. He took lessons from Gary Davis an Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #54 on its list of 100 Greatest Guitarists.

This isn’t about the punk classic “London Calling”, we are calling Chicago, through British bluesman Cyril Davies. His “Chicago Calling” is everything a good blues song needs. Kicking off with a killer honky-tonk Piano tune, and wild swinging harmonica melodies the up-tempo vocals start in. “Chicago Calling” is enjoyable every one of the 145 seconds.

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